Some will lean in… and others will not.

Jeff Probst explains why Survivor 50 will ‘forever change how players embrace uncertainty’

Some will lean in… and others will not.

By Dalton Ross

Dalton Ross is a writer and editor with over 25 years experience covering TV and the entertainment industry. *Survivor* is kind of his thing.

EW's editorial guidelines

February 6, 2026 11:15 a.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Jeff Probst on 'Survivor 49'. Credit:

Robert Voets/CBS

*Survivor 50* marks the sixth time the franchise has brought back a full cast of returning all-stars (following the *All-Stars, Heroes vs. Villains, Cambodia, Game Changers,* and *Winners at War* seasons). But even with those other high-profile installments (including one filled with previous champions), something about *Survivor 50* felt different to Jeff Probst during filming.

“I've never had the kind of feeling I had in *Survivor 50*,” the host and showrunner tells **. “And I've never felt the exchange with the players that I felt in *Survivor 50*.”

But while the meeting between host and cast was a little bit of a celebratory love-in, Probst also believes there has never been more on the line. “It's *Survivor 50,*” he says. “And if you thought the stakes were high for winning *Winners at War* or *Heroes vs. Villains*, everybody wants their name on that parchment at the final Tribal Council of *Survivor 50*. And that exceeded any feeling I've had on any other returning player season.”

While many cast members bring longstanding friendships onto the island, that can actually lead to a more brutal game with fractured feelings when game comes first. “The gameplay was real,” says the host. “And yes, a lot of these players know each other. They've played together before. Some of them have known each other for a very long time, but there's only one winner. And the great part of the format is you can have all kinds of friendships, but two friends don't win. Just one wins.”

Jeff Probst on 'Survivor 50'.

Robert Voets/CBS

Of course, *Survivor 50* also carries a lot of uncertainty with it since the contestants had no idea how the viewers voted in key categories to shape the game. And it sounds like how they react — or don’t — to that mystery could determine the winner of season 50.

“I think *Survivor 50* will forever change how players embrace uncertainty,” Probst predicts. “Because what you see during the season is that the players who lean into the unknown are the ones who take control.”

Probst insists him saying this is not just him encouraging contestants to play aggressively to make better TV. “That is something you and I have joked about for years, when you would always get on me saying, ‘Oh, I just want big moves.’ And I have never changed my tune ever. The way you win the game is you play to win. The same way Tony played recklessly. And yes, you're gonna lose most times, but if you want a shot at winning, that’s what you have to do. And that's what you're gonna see in *50*. You have to embrace the unknown and covet it, want it, lure it to you. You want to be in control."

7:23 The Cast of ‘Survivor 50’ Reveals Who They Want to Vote Out First

***Want to be kept up with all things Survivor? Dig deep and sign up for 's free Survivor Weekly newsletter to have all the latest news, interviews, and commentary sent right to your inbox. ***

With Probst preaching on the importance of playing an aggressive game — and indicating that aggressiveness will be rewarded on *Survivor 50* — does that mean the old-school players will have trouble adapting to the faster game‚ if that is indeed what the fans voted into the season?

“One of the fun questions going into this is: How will the fans impact the new-era game?” Probst asks. “And then an equally big question is: How will players from earlier eras adapt? Because if you're a second-time player and you played in the new era, you could argue you have a bit of an advantage because the pace of 26 days, and you know what it's like to go maybe 15, 18, 20 days without any food.”

Probst states it bluntly: “I think the onus is going to be on the earlier era players. They have to meet the game where it is and not expect the game to meet them where they are. But if we got it right by the players we picked, then I think that will happen.”

Jeff Probst and the cast of 'Survivor 50'.

But are these even the same players — and people — from the last time they competed on the island? “I think Colby is one of the players who's changed the most in terms of his attitude,” Probst notes of the difference from his last outing on season 20 of *Heroes vs. Villains*. “Because the last time he played, he wasn't happy. He left disgruntled and frustrated and was done with *Survivor*. And then over the years he's grown up, he's matured, he's reflected on it and he came back with as much gratitude as anyone in the game.”

The host said the gratitude is no act either. “I felt it. It was real. The first time we talked, I felt it. The first time I saw him at Ponderosa [before the game], I felt it. The first time I saw him on the beach, I felt it. So that felt very different. What hasn't changed much about Colby is his looks. He still looks incredible! He's still a stud. He's still fit. He works at a real ranch. He does those physical things. And it was fun to see him out there and realize, ‘Yeah, he's aged a little bit, but relatively speaking, not very much.”

On the beach for 'Survivor 50': An exclusive, all-access first look at the biggest season ever

Watch cast members of 'Survivor 50' vote their first players out of the game (exclusive)

Colby is not the only player who has evolved since his last season. Ozzy Lusth is back for his fifth attempt at the title, his last outing being season 34’s *Game Changers.*

“Ozzy is another guy I think who's changed quite a bit,” Probst notes. “I think Ozzy's undergone a lot of maturity and I think a lot of this came from being this one-name player associated with such a big show and in such positive ways — you know, the original Jungle Boy who could do anything.  And I think that was probably pretty tough to manage. Like, how do you maintain who you really are and live alongside this image of what people think you are, who they think you are or who they want you to be?”

So who is Ozzy now? “How do you come back into *Survivor 50* and merge those two where it is, 'I wanna give the fans the Ozzy they're used to, but I'm an older, different, more mature Ozzy.' And I appreciated that across the board in the same way that Jenna Lewis showed up. I mean, first player, first season, she hasn't played in forever and she was an instant yes.”

The host says that was a constant theme among the cast: “These players brought in their collective past from all their seasons, but individually, they all showed up where they were in their life at that moment. And I think that adds a layer of depth to what you're gonna get because you're gonna see lots of different stories, lots of different approaches to gameplay, all with the same goal. How do I beat this game?”

Of course, not *every* player changed radically. “I think the player who's probably the most consistent overall is Coach,” Probst says while breaking into a smile. “I love Coach for lots of reasons, but one of the reasons I love him is that he is not afraid to embrace who he is. He is a guy that has many a quote at hand, and he has intention behind those quotes. And if you ask him for something that's going to inspire, he's got something. If you ask him for something to deal with loss, he's got something. But he is not putting on just a performance, he's performing his truth. And there's a difference. And it's one of the reasons I love Coach.”

So do we, Jeff. So do we.

- Survivor Fandom

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Survivor”